Gerald laughed without humor. “Buddy, I wouldn’t complain about that. If I could find a woman that frugal, I might just settle down.” The line was silent a moment. “Or not,” he concluded.
Alex sighed. “I suppose I should be grateful, but it’s hard to take care of her when she keeps shoving money back at me.”
“Is that a complaint?”
Alex laughed. “It’s about as close to one as I can come right now.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Well, I’d better let you go home to supper. Don’t keep the little lady waiting. Keep in touch, okay?”
“I will,” Alex said. “I’m glad you called. Merry Christmas to you too.”
Alex replaced the receiver and retraced his steps to the lobby. He headed for the door again, but this time Saundra stopped him with a question.
“What does a guy give a gal who thinks she already has everything?”
Alex stopped. “I beg your pardon?”
Saundra laughed. “Your wife . . . what are you going to get her for Christmas?”
Alex shrugged. “Jewelry, flowers, candy . . . any suggestions?”
Saundra grinned. “If I know you, you already have something picked out.”
When he grinned, she leaned forward and whispered. “What is it?”
He took a step toward her and whispered. “It’s a secret.”
She laughed. “You little dickens. Get out of here.”
“I’m trying,” he said, heading for the door again.
Actually, he had been contemplating her gift for quite a while before she took him to the mountain. That evening he made his decision. He had taken her favorite picture of her parents to an artist and had a painting made that matched the one of his parents. They would both be hung above the fireplace. How could she think of it as her home when so many of his things dominated it?
He smiled as he climbed into the cold truck and started it. Carmen was shy about the strangest things. The way she blushed about intimacy was amusing and somehow sweet. That innocence was part of her charm.
He pulled the truck onto the highway, smiling in anticipation of her passionate greeting when he walked into the house. The kitchen would smell of good food and her soft neck would be as fragrant as spring flowers.
He had one regret when it came to Carmen . . . that they hadn’t met sooner.